F-FCS reconsidering bond proposal options

Friday, May 30, 2014 - Updated: 10:14 AM

FONDA -- The Fonda-Fultonville Central School District Board of Education will sit down later this month to discuss how to proceed with the $19.8 million bond proposal defeated by voters May 20.

Superintendent Raymond Colucciello said the board will hold a work session June 11 at 4 p.m. to discuss the next steps, which could include putting the same proposal out for a vote a second time, or modifying it.

"We were disappointed, but not discouraged that it failed," Colucciello said, Thursday. "We have a lot of people in this town and more than half wanted the project. I am looking at it as the glass is half full."

The capital project received 58.6 percent of the vote in favor, six votes shy of the 60 percent needed for it to pass.

Colucciello said he didn't want to speculate on what the next steps would be but that the board would rely on the results from the exit poll which were released Wednesday.

Of the 165 voters who filled out the exit poll, 128 voted yes for the capital project while 37 voted against it.

For those who voted against the project, 19 -- or 44 percent -- thought the cost and tax increase of the project was unreasonable, while approximately 28 percent thought that the program enhancements such as the multisport field were unnecessary.

Those who voted in favor of the project said that it was important to maintain the facilities and thought that the program enhancement would benefit the students.

Comments included in poll said, "Teachers were let go two years ago, how are we going to pay for the expenses when we can not afford to bring back teachers to improve education our students."

Another read, "Cut the excessively expensive items -- turf, air conditioning, basketball court extension, etc. Get back to basics with education first."

The poll also tried to determine how votes would change should the projects proposal be modified.

Approximately 99 voters said they would vote in favor of the capital project if it did not include program enhancements; 48 said they would vote against it.

If the projects cost less and addressed the most critical maintenance needs, 105 voters said they would vote yes while 33 would vote no.

"This board wants to hear what the public has to say and that is what the exit poll did," Colucciello said. "It wasn't a total representation but it helped."